More than 1,000 students sought counselling support at the University of Surrey last year according to figures released under the Freedom of Information act.

The figures show an increase from 2013-14, when 964 students requested help, to 1,049 in the academic year 2014-15.

Other universities in Surrey show a similar pattern of increasing demand for support services, with Royal Holloway seeing a 0.5% increase from 776 students seeking help in 2013-14 to 780 in 2014-15, and 31% higher than 596 students in 2010/11.

Dyfed-Powys Police has been criticised along with three other UK police forces for failing to recruit enough black police officers.

Home Secretary Theresa May quoted data suggesting Dyfed-Powys, North Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Durham, did not have any black police officers.

Information supplied by Dyfed-Powys Police following a Freedom of Information request last year showed that of 1,041 police officers, four were mixed race, none were black, three were Asian /Asian British and two were Chinese /‘other’.

In terms of proportion of the workforce Cheshire had the lowest proportion of ethnic minority officers at 0.6%, or 12 of its 1,962-strong workforce.

The number of renters made homeless due to private tenancy agreements ending has quadrupled in the past five years, statistics have shown .

Figures by Croydon council have revealed that 525 people became homeless within the last year after the end of their private rented tenancy. This is a significant increase, in comparison to 119 people who became homeless between October 2010 to September 2011.

Tom Chance, the Green Party’s housing spokesperson, obtained the figures from the council after making a Freedom of Information Request (FOI).

Chance, who has also requested the same data from other London local authorities, told EastLondonLines: “British private tenants suffer some of the weakest rights in Europe.”

“It is becoming a major problem as rents rise and benefits are cut, and people find they can’t negotiate a renewal with their landlord.”

It is now a year since the tax disc was scrapped – but motorists are still struggling to adjust to the new electronic system, figures suggest.

The number of vehicles being clamped or impounded jumped from about 5,500 a month under the old system to more than 8,000 a month.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act in September revealed the number of vehicles clamped or impounded went up from 5,806 in October 2014, when tax discs were scrapped, to more than 8,000 every month from January to August.